Down the Rabbit Hole

Polynesian Cultural Centre , I have returned! Echoing General Douglas MacArthur's famous speech in Leyte, I  returned  nine years  after  my last visit to Hawaii. During my first trip, I wished I had more time for exploration, as I only had a brief stop at the Hukilau Marketplace and ate lunch at the barbecue before boarding my tour bus for the next stop.  For this trip (my third time in Hawaii, actually), I went with Mommy, Daddy, and Donan. I got tickets that allowed us to visit on three consecutive business days. No wonder I couldn't explore the Centre in two hours: it takes three days to experience all that the centre has to offer! We only had time for two afternoon trips to Lā'ie, so we had to make the most of these visits. I had to consider that I was with seniors and a preschooler, so our fastest pace at the centre would be a slow walk. Day 1 We had just arrived from the  Dole Pineapple Plantation , which was an hour's drive from Wahiawa. That visit ...

A slight fall of rain didn't stop us from visiting the Dole Pineapple Plantation  in Wahiawa, Oahu. During my first visit, I was part of a tour group visiting the island. This time, I drove with Mommy, Daddy, and Donan. I was determined to ride the train to see the plantation (because I didn't have a chance to do that previously). Donan immediately wanted to try the Pineapple Garden Maze when we saw it. Our two-hour scheduled stop was short. We were supposed to find eight stations inside the maze, but we only saw three because it was huge (it is the largest maze in the world, after all) and we were pressed for time. It would take about an hour to find all the stations (accounting for the fact that we also got lost in the maze). We wouldn't be able to catch the train tour if we attempted to complete the maze. The train tour circled around the Dole Plantation's pineapple farm, where we saw pineapples in varying stages of maturity (to ensure that there's pineapple all ...

I used to go on a Visita Iglesia  on Maundy Thursdays . It's a great tradition that combines travel with a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ's sacrifice and a sense of community, especially when done as a family or with a tour group. When I moved to California, Visita Iglesia  didn't occur on Maundy Thursday; instead, my family would visit parishes in the cities we were vacationing in. Donan had his first Visita Iglesia  experience when we stopped by Mission Santa Ines  with Mommy, Daddy, and Anna. Val was not with us at the time; his visits usually don't coincide with Holy Week. This year, with Val in town, I introduced Donan to another Maundy Thursday tradition: the Holy Triduum. It is the three-day period (non-working holidays in the Philippines but not in the USA) which commemorates Jesus' Last Supper , crucifixion , and resurrection . We went to St. Dominic's Catholic Church in Benicia. Façade of St. Dominic's Catholic Church (that's not our SUV)...